Ash Wednesday Service 2026

Good evening and welcome to our Ash Wednesday service.

Tonight marks the doorway into the desert. For centuries, followers of Jesus have set aside this season to step away from noise, distraction, and excess in order to draw near to God. Lent is not about spiritual performance. It is about intentional surrender. It is about slowing down long enough to see what has quietly taken root in our hearts and allowing the Lord to reshape us.

In Scripture, the desert is not a place of punishment. It is a place of formation. It is where God speaks clearly. It is where idols are exposed. It is where dependence deepens.

Over these next forty days, we will be called into practices that the Church has long embraced. Self denial. Prayer. Almsgiving. Fasting. These are not empty rituals. They are tools that train our hearts. They loosen our grip on lesser things and strengthen our grip on Christ.

Ash Wednesday reminds us of two realities. We are dust. And we are deeply loved. Our lives are fragile. Our need for grace is constant. And our hope is found in Jesus alone.

Let us enter this season with humility, expectancy, and a willingness to be formed.